Drug drivers have been put on notice in a new Transport Accident Commission (TAC) campaign to reduce drug- related deaths on Victorian roads.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan and Transport Accident Commission Chief Executive Officer Joe Calafiore today unveiled the new campaign, highlighting ramped up drug testing throughout the state.
“Drug driving is a major killer on Victorian roads and those who think it’s a risk worth taking need to understand they will be caught. Any highway patrol vehicle in Victoria can test for drugs at any time and where people least expect it.”, stated Luke Donnellan, Minister for Roads and Road Safety
The campaign tells drug drivers that they can expect more ‘drug tests, more places, more often’, with every highway patrol vehicle able to test for drugs.
A television advertisement hits close to home for drug drivers, depicting a clean cut young man enjoying Sunday lunch with his family before offering to drive his grandmother home.
During the trip home he is stopped for a random drug test and his grandmother looks on as the test reveals the presence of illegal drugs in his system from the night before.
Last year, 41 drivers killed on the roads had drugs in their system, compared with 26 drivers who died behind the wheel with a BAC over 0.05.
Drug driving now outstrips drink driving as a cause of fatalities on Victorian roads.
The new campaign aims to educate the community that illegal drugs can remain detectable long after the feeling of impairment has passed.
The Andrews Labor Government has invested $15 million in ten new state of the art drug and booze buses. Victoria Police have conducted more than 1 million breath tests in 2015-16, and more than 100,000 drug tests last financial year.
